We are thinking of getting the BAL Leveler. (I got some Camping World gift certificates for Christmas.) Does anyone have any problems with it, or is it worth the money? Any thoughts are welcome...
Thanks,
Zooey[&:]
Zooey[font=" Papyrus" ]The BAL is so worth the money!! We got one this past summer and it has made leveling SO much easier and faster. No more backing up on to pieces of wood over and over till you get it right. We usually camp where there s dirt not grass and have had no problems getting it into position. It s money well spent for us.[/font]
ZooeyGET THE BAL LEVELER!! We love ours and think it is one of the best camping investments we ever made!! I camp alone a lot of the time and this thing lets me set up camp in a jiffy ALL BY MYSELF with no backing and pullling forward, no inserting leveling blocks, etc. About a year ago, several people on the old board mentioned owning the BAL leveler and we all wondered if it was worth the expense. Thanks to the enthusiastic reviews at PUT , I ordered ours and have never regretted it for a second. (And you wont either![:D])
This is just one small example of how I have benefitted in many practical ways from belonging to the PUT board![:)]
ZooeyA BAL is well worth the money. Very easy to use. Back in where you want to.....put it under lowest tire......crank it up till level.....level front to back....your done. So far, one of the best purchases I ve made for the camper.
ZooeyWe ve had ours for about 10 months and wouldn t trade it for any amount of money. When we get to a campsite, we determine which side needs to go up and pop the BAL down, block the other tire, unhook and crank. It s usually done in just a couple of minutes. There are a number of places that sell it at all sorts of prices. I ve heard the JC Whitney has the best price.
Bill " Moose" Shattuck
ZooeyThis all sounds good and well but what about when the ground is wet. Does the BAL sink under the weight of the trailer?
Scottie Estis
QuoteORIGINAL: Scottie Estis
This all sounds good and well but what about when the ground is wet. Does the BAL sink under the weight of the trailer?
If this is a concern, or big, tall, grass can sometimes be a problem. I just cut a piece of plywood that fits into the toolbox, under the stepper door. Put the plywood down, back onto it, then the leveler. No problems now. Easy.[:)]
ZooeyI have thought about getting a BAL leveler. A few questions, how big are they, how much room does it take up when towing and is there a problem with it getting grease on stuff. I seem to remember someone saying they had problems with grease. Maybe Dave could sell them in the PUT store.[:D]
tlhdoc
QuoteORIGINAL: tlhdoc
I seem to remember someone saying they had problems with grease. Maybe Dave could sell them in the PUT store.[:D]
I remember the grease comment also, but many people responded that it was not a problem.
It would be nice if Dave could cary these in the store, so an e-mail to him may help. I will say though that for items that are carried by Camping World it may be hard to beat their price. Anyone who sell s to them has a contract that they will not sell it a to any other dealer at a lower wholesale price.
The idea of using a BAL leveler seems to be a very personal one. Either you love it or you just don t seem to care/ I m in the second catagory, my [link=http://www.title-3.com/Level.htm]Lynx Levelers[/link] work just fine.
ZooeyActually, mine just arived today [:D]
Can t wait to try it out. If I just said fine, I ll go out right now & try it, I d have to fight w/the snow; as we re getting 5-6" tonight [:@]
But YAHOO!!!! I got mine & just can t wait!!
ZooeyI just bought one for DH for Christmas. We haven t used it yet, but I did order it from Camping World. Their price was only slightly higher than JC Whitney, but with the $1 shipping at CW it was less expensive than JC. It came very quickly, too.
Zooey
I really like the idea of the BAL Leveler, however, we ve recently upgraded to the " darkside" with a Trail Cruiser C-19 hybrid.
Is there anything like that for a dual axle?
BTW, our 2000 Coleman Tacoma is for sale, see classified!
ZooeyDont forget to check that the leveler will fit your tire size.I have heard that some pop ups have wheels/tires that are too small to work with the leveler.
ZooeyThank you all for you help. I have decided to buy it!! [:)]
It s going to get harder and harder to wait for Spring with all these new camping toys ( I also got the Thermos Grill 2 Go for Christmas!!)
Thanks, again!!!
Zooey[&:]
ZooeyI am still wondering how big the unit is? When we pack for a long trip there isn t much room left in the PU.
tlhdocIt doesn t give specifics in size dimensions but HTH.......
http://www.jcwhitney.com/product.jhtml?CATID=194170&BQ=rv
Just picture it around your tire; hopefully, you ll get an idea. If not, try a few members web sites to see it in action.
ZooeyWe bought the BAL leveler in September and feel it s worth every dime. We had purchased the Lynx levelers earlier and still use them under the stablizers, etc. on soft ground. It s heavy and bulky but we keep ours in the box and feel its worth the space it takes up. You won t regret the purchase.
ZooeyThanks for the help.[;)]
ZooeyI just got back from a trip where I used my new BAL levelor for the first time. Worked just great. As to the grease, I wiped about half of it off on a rag since it came loaded with it. The hand ratchet worked very easily as would a 3/4" socket on a drill. I ll keep mine stored in the box it came it. I d estimate that to be about 2" x 15" x 15" or so. As to it sinking in the dirt... if the dirt is that soft you need to get another site because your wheels will be up to the axles.
Trlrboy
QuoteORIGINAL: Trlrboy
as would a 3/4" socket on a drill.
Bob,
Don t forget to throw a swivel in the box too. If you use a drill when you get towards the top, the drill will hit the side of the camper. The swivel works great!
ZooeyThe first time I used mine I had trouble getting it under the tire. I almost panicked because I thought it didn t fit the tire. [:o] Then I realized the problem was the tall, thick, wet grass in the campsite. After trying (unsuccessfully) to pound it under the tire with a rubber mallet, I got a little smarter. We put two Lynx Levelers end to end and I pulled the camper forward so the tire was resting on them. Once I didn t have to fight the grass, the BAL slipped right under the tire with no problem.[:)]
Like some others mentioned, I also used the Lynx Levelers under the stabilizer jacks since the ground was pretty wet and soft.
I ordered the BAL leveler from JC Whitney, and found the Lynx Levelers at Wal-Mart.
labontefanHere s my two cent s worth: KEEP THE BOX IT COMES IN!!! You have to transport the thing somehow. Words of experience, I threw mine away. I made a box out of scrap cardboard and duct tape. I cut a piece of plywood that fits in the box under the leveler to use on soft or uneven ground. I have a coleman westlake with the storage compartment on the front. On the drivers side of the storage is the water heater. The leveler fits on top of that while traveling.
ZooeyI didn t keep the box, cause it was kind of ratty when I got it, and then it got wet. The BAL just travels as is, but I keep the ratchet in the storage bag with the Lynx Levelers.
I tried to put the BAL in that little storage compartment under the door on the Utah, but it was too big. (BTW, haven t found anything that quite fits there yet, and I hate to waste storage space! Any suggestions??) The BAL travels in the front storage compartment of the Utah...and we try to remember not to pack too much stuff on top of it, so it s pretty easy to get to when we start setting up.
Pick 6
QuoteORIGINAL: Pick 6
Here s my two cent s worth: KEEP THE BOX IT COMES IN!!! You have to transport the thing somehow. Words of experience, I threw mine away. I made a box out of scrap cardboard and duct tape. I cut a piece of plywood that fits in the box under the leveler to use on soft or uneven ground. I have a coleman westlake with the storage compartment on the front. On the drivers side of the storage is the water heater. The leveler fits on top of that while traveling.
I just cut a piece of plywood that fits into the toolbox, under the stepper door. Put the plywood down, back onto it, then the leveler. No problems now. Easy.
labontefanMtnCamper, great idea for an area that get s little use. I put the plywood under the leveler to distribute the weight evenly over the top of the water heater.
ZooeyIf this is the BAL leveler that I bought last summer, and it looks like it is in some of these web pages posted, it is outstanding.... Worth every penny. Be careful because it is listed at many prices. You will find $55 to $90. It will level the trailer about 5 degrees. It is eazy to use. [:)]